Pam Bondi, the U.S. attorney general, has a lot of explaining to do. The problem is that the more she says, the worse she appears.

Her problem dates back to February, when she failed to deliver on a loudly touted major reveal regarding the long-demanded release of the so-called “Epstein Files.” Bondi even staged an event to promote the release by handing out binders titled “Epstein Files: Phase 1” to several excited Trump-supporting social media influencers and podcasters.

Many were eager to finally see the “client list” of individuals whom Jefferey Epstein was believed to have been blackmailing with evidence of their involvement in his sex-trafficking crimes. As Bondi advertised, “What you’re going to see, hopefully tomorrow, is a lot of flight logs, a lot of names, a lot of information.”

It was widely presumed that Bondi had the “client list” and was delivering it, and that it would indict numerous wealthy and famous individuals who would finally face prosecution for their suspected crimes.

Furthermore, many believed the evidence would show what had long been suspected: that Epstein’s death in a New York jail cell was not a result of suicide but of murder as part of a conspiracy of powerful people to ensure his silence.

When Bondi’s “Phase 1” files proved to be nothing other than a compiled list of already known names of individuals who were tied to Epstein and his infamous “Lolita Express,” excitement quickly turned to frustration over what amounted to nothing more than a publicity stunt.

Bondi’s response was to deflect and blast the FBI, claiming that she wanted what she had seen “on my desk.” FBI Director Kash Patel responded by blaming unidentified agents in New York for supposedly withholding the files, a charge the New York office denied.

Eventually, Bondi admitted the files she had seen on her desk were those that had long been public record and asserted that she had been misled regarding their content. An investigation was promised, but the fact of the matter is that Bondi promised a major bombshell revelation on one of the biggest scandals and conspiracy theories in recent memory … and she delivered a dud.

And that frustration has only grown more pronounced after the Justice Department and FBI released their findings from the investigation into the holdings related to Epstein. According to the investigation, no incriminating “client list” exists. “There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions,” the report states. “We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties,” it adds.

Regarding the trove of video evidence collected from Epstein’s properties, which many suspect had the blackmail evidence, the report states that the films primarily contained child pornography, as well as Epstein with a number of his victims, but they “did not expose any additional third-parties to allegations of illegal wrongdoing.”

Finally, the report also addresses the conspiracy surrounding Epstein’s death, concluding that all the evidence, including all available video footage, points to Epstein having committed suicide.

In other words, the Trump administration is effectively stating there is no “there” there. But that is a hard sell, especially when members of the Trump administration touted the Epstein client list cover-up conspiracy.

This, of course, raises the question: Is Trump more implicated in Epstein’s web than had been previously known? This was the charge raised — and since deleted — by Elon Musk during his first feud with Trump over the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Musk insinuated that Trump was on Epstein’s client list.

Did the Biden administration “disappear” the evidence? Given the politicized nature of Biden’s DOJ, such a consideration doesn’t appear outside the realm of possibilities. However, if such a list exists and it implicates Trump, why would the Biden administration not use it in a smear campaign against Trump in 2024?

As Mark Alexander notes, “Speculation that there is something in the Epstein files and videos that would incriminate Trump falls flat — the Biden/Harris regime’s corrupt DoJ was in possession of all of this information prior to Trump’s election, and if there was anything incriminating, it would most certainly have been ‘leaked.’”

Perhaps the truth of the matter is that there was never much there to begin with. If that is indeed the case, and the DOJ and FBI report is truthful and accurate, then this whole episode amounts to a significant unforced error on the part of Bondi. Her dud of an Epstein bombshell is now blowing up in her face.